Jacks Hill Road by Jennifer Grahame

We’ve all driven down one of those streets, haven’t we? One of those streets where the lawns are manicured, the pavements are clean and uncracked, and the houses are hidden away behind large gates. One of those streets where you can feel money dripping from the trees.

Jacks Hill Road is that kind of road, and it’s the Jamaican setting for an entertaining novel by Jennifer Grahame. We’re introduced to it through the eyes of the housekeeper, Louise, as she struggles up the hill in the heat of the morning sun.

The beauty of the landscape always surprised her, coming from the dirt and rock stone of the downtown area.

Money, of course, can buy many things, but it can’t exempt people from things like loss, betrayal, illness, failing marriages and wayward children. So it’s no surprise that behind the perfect façade, things are going seriously wrong in the house on Jacks Hill Road. Dan is facing business ruin just as his wife Carmen is planning an extravagant party, and they must do everything they can to hold things together.

Add to that a host of very entertaining and sometimes outlandish characters, and you get a novel that is a few different things. First and foremost it’s a comedy, with some great scenes and some very funny dialogue that makes full use of Jamaica’s rich vernacular. But it’s also a clever social commentary, showing the dangers of materialism and the way a family can lose its way by focusing too much on the trappings and not enough on each other.

The main danger with the setup is that Dan and Carmen become either figures of fun or of hatred, the rich couple to be brought low for our amusement. This never occurs, because the story is told with compassion. The novel satirises Dan and Carmen’s lifestyle, but not Dan and Carmen themselves. Despite their flaws, they are characters to root for.

And although it’s Dan and Carmen’s struggle to avoid shame that dominates the novel, especially through the major set-piece scene of the party, there are plenty of other threads to the plot, involving various members of the household staff and their friends and family, with everything coming to a head at the party.

As an outsider to Jamaica, most of what I hear about the country is to do with its darker side—the violence, the drugs, the murder rate that’s one of the highest in the world. That side of the country is almost entirely absent from this book, and I found it refreshing to have my perspective altered and to see another side of the country represented. I’d recommend Jacks Hill Road as an entertaining read and a breezy introduction to some of the complexities of life in Jamaica, both for the residents of the large houses and those on the outside.

Yes, it’s a fine line, Brian. When I try to write satire, I sometimes find myself slipping into being cruel about the characters. That ends up being quite boring to read, I find. I liked how in this book, the characters were likeable but stuck in a way of life that didn’t bring out the best in them.

Thanks! I saw your post. Hope you do read the book—I think it would be good for your book club.

Lisa Simpson
1 June 2015
at
5:45 pm

This book took me on an emotional joyride…I laughed, cried and empathized with the characters and their personas. I thoroughly enjoyed and could not help but feel pride envisioning my Jamaican people and the real life scenarios that were created by this author…..Big up, nuff love and respect Jen!!!

Keep the creative juices flowing…

Joan Segre
4 June 2015
at
8:26 pm

Sounds like something I could delve into this summer, while I’m off. I’m a high school English teacher. Is it available on Amazon?

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I’m a British-born literary fiction writer, currently travelling around Europe full-time and freelancing to pay the bills. Learn more.